Reward offered in slaying of Kashmier Shari James who was killed on Christmas day

12/28/2010, 5 p.m.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.--A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the killers of a woman who was gunned down Christmas night in front of her 3-year-old daughter--and the toddler herself made a plea for help in finding the people responsible.

Kashmier Shari James, 25, was leaving a friend's home in the 1700 block of 85th Street and was getting into her car about 10:20 p.m. Saturday when a dark blue vehicle with two men inside was driven by and nine shots were fired, according to Los Angeles police Sgt. Jim Lewis. One of the shots struck James in the head.

The suspects fled south on Western Avenue, Lewis said. James' daughter, Neveah, witnessed the shooting from inside her mother's car. James was declared dead at 10:41 p.m.

At an afternoon news conference, Neveah--being held by her father--leaned toward the bank of microphones and said, "Help my mommy please."

Her father, Christopher Jackson, begged for help "to catch this person that did this to my daughter, did this to her mother in the car on Christmas day."

"We woke up a happy family. Open our gifts, she opened her gifts, looked at her momma thinking nothing like this'll happen," Jackson said.

"...Whoever out there can give a tip, a lead, a word, or something to catch this person, these two people whoever they may be who did this heinous act to my baby momma, and to this child," Jackson said.

"And I'm reaching out to every neighborhood, every friend that I know, if you know something, please tell something. Say something. Cause you're not doing it for me. You're doing it for her. This 3-year-old will never wake up to see her mother again in life."

"How can I explain it to her day in and day out about it?" Jackson said. "I can't. I cry so much, I don't think I got any more left in me. I cry for this girl every day. I gotta wake up to her now, I been doing it but now I do it all by myself. I just want the person to get caught who did this act to my baby momma and this girl's mother,'' he said.

"Her mother was her life, and this is what it ends up to be. On Christmas Day, on a day of giving. Won't y'all give back to us. To my family," Jackson said.

The $50,000 reward was being offered by City Councilman Bernard Parks. A spokeswoman said the reward would be approved by the council after the holiday break.

LAPD Cmdr. Robert Green said the case had outraged the community.

"Even among criminals there is a code of conduct," Green said, adding that it was necessary "the cowards that did this shooting" are taken off the street so "they won't shoot again."

Sister Lita Herron of the Cease Fire Committee added that the community had "responded in a very positive way. Help this family as if it were your own because if you don't, then tomorrow it could be your own."

Anyone with information was urged to call detectives Doug Pierce or Ernesto Mendoza at (213) 485-1383.